The rise of smart glasses and the future of the smartphone

A mobile phone is a small brick and a big ring of power, a la J.R.R. Tolkien, capable of subjugating millions of people. It is the hegemonic, indispensable and easiest device to resell on portals like Wallapop, and it is for good reason: it condenses personal messages, news, work emails, social networks, card payments and photography from around the house on a single platform.

Hungry for new monetization channels, the tech industry has been trying to discover the next magic gadget for years. On this hiking route there has been everything: from the failure of bulky virtual reality glasses to the unmitigated triumph of headphones and smart watches, with Apple once again giving a clinic on how to become a world leader in products with infinitely more veteran players.

The clue to the new crown jewel for companies in the sector is in the Airpods. They do not represent anything that did not exist before, thus avoiding the rejection that is caused by a helmet that overheats, dizzies and marks the user more as a geek than as an early adopter. Siri, which finally improves a little, is within voice reach, just like music or an important call, and the user is not forced to look at any screen, search in the back pocket of his pants or squint as the sun shines.

Under that same premise, smart glasses are gradually emerging, much lighter than the mushroom previously suggested by others, and as indistinguishable from the majority as the Ray-Ban that Meta provides with artificial intelligence. The consulting firm Counterpoint, specialized in consumer electronics (among other verticals), highlights a 263% year-on-year growth in the global sale of glasses with AI. The same thing happens with AirPods: the invention works because it is not about imitating a computer, but about putting the weight on agility, voice, hearing and, in this case, sight. If you forget that you have a device on you, the device ends up becoming your best friend.

What the industry will probably propose after the setbacks and lessons of the past is a gradual landing in the heart of the consumer. The glasses of the future will release more and more contextual information. What a historic building that is that stands out a hundred meters down the street; What model of electric bicycle does the neighbor take down the stairs each day? What do all those kilometric German phrases on the tasting menu mean in Spanish? Of course, Mark Zuckerberg adds to his sardine when he states that, in a few years, whoever does not use (his) smart glasses will be at a clear disadvantage compared to others, an argument that is heard daily in relation to artificial intelligence.

And the screens? The first glasses to become a true best-seller may not need to project information before the human eye. It will be enough for them to respond by voice. Then small pieces of information will arrive: Google Maps, messages, subtitles, notifications. Later, if science solves the battery problem and manages to keep the weight and design within reasonable limits, augmented reality will emerge. And then perhaps, finally, the smartphone will start to shake.